Li Changju rushed up with a bout of crying, and caught off guard, Zhao Jingqing didn’t react immediately.
In that moment of distraction, Li Changju wiped her tears with the corners of her clothes, “I know, you’re a married ger’er, and by rights, family matters shouldn’t trouble you, but… but your younger brother is still young and can’t handle it. I can only come to you… please talk to your dad!”
Zhao Jingqing finally reacted. How could dad be sick? He’s always been in good health. Zhao Jingqing couldn’t help but feel flustered.
His gaze swept over the nearby customers and the increasingly gathered bystanders, and in just a few breaths, Zhao Jingqing calmed down, weighing the pros and cons. He couldn’t let Li Changju cause a scene here.
“Yiniang, don’t cry yet. What’s wrong with dad? What kind of illness does he have?” Zhao Jingqing asked anxiously, filled with the worry and concern of a son hearing about his father being sick.
Li Changju hesitated, “Your dad… your dad didn’t want me to tell you, and didn’t want me to come find you, I came secretly…”
Zhao Jingqing pursed his lips slightly, “Then… how much does the medicine cost?”
Li Changju secretly rejoiced in her heart, but on the surface, she showed a cautious and apprehensive look as she said, “Ten, ten taels.”
Ten taels, what kind of illness needs ten taels for medicine? Zhao Jingqing was skeptical, “Yiniang, I don’t have that much money on hand right now. I’ll go gather some and bring it to you, and I’ll go see dad.”
“…Your dad is still waiting for the medicine.” Li Changju hesitated, worried that Zhao Jingqing would change his mind once he turned around.
Zhao Jingqing thought for a moment, then untied the money pouch from his waist. It was still early in the day, and the pouch had only a little over a hundred, not quite two hundred coins.
Zhao Jingqing handed it to Li Changju, “Take this for now, it should be enough for a couple of prescriptions. Dad can’t miss his medicine.”
Li Changju held it tightly, listening to the jingling sound of coins inside the pouch, her mouth nearly broke into a smile she could hardly contain.
She restrained herself and said, “Alright, I’ll go get the medicine for your dad first. You… you should make time to come home and see your dad, he misses you the most.”
“Okay.” Zhao Jingqing agreed readily and sent Li Changju away.
Turning his head, Zhao Jingqing exchanged a glance with Lin Cui’e, “Mother, can you watch the stall? I’ll go gather some money.”
Lin Cui’e nodded, “Alright.”
Having delayed others’ time, Zhao Jingqing apologized to the tofu-buying customers.
Among them were regulars who all said it was okay and urged him to quickly go handle things.
Zhao Jingqing untied the donkey cart and drove towards Xiao Luo Bay. The donkey ran fast and soon left the town.
Under the scorching sun, Zhao Jingqing felt a mix of emotions. Blood ties are hard to sever, and deep affection for Zhao Si, his father, persists.
Despite being angry, disappointed, and feeling disheartened with him, Zhao Si is still his dad.
Deep down, there remains a subtle expectation for his father. It’s both tangled and conflicted.
The sudden news of Zhao Si’s serious illness left Zhao Jingqing in disbelief at first, then flustered.
But having gone through so much in the past half-year, he feels more confident now, allowing him to calm down quicker to deal with things. Upon reflection, Zhao Jingqing finds it strange.
Why did Li Changju come to the tofu stall? And why did she cry for money in front of so many people? Shouldn’t she come to the house to ask for it?
The donkey cart reached Xiao Luo Bay, coincidentally meeting Yuan Mu returning from a delivery on the way.
“Why are you back so early?” Yuan Mu asked in surprise, raising his voice. As he got closer, he noticed something off about Zhao Jingqing’s expression. Yuan Mu stopped his donkey cart and went over to ask, “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Zhao Jingqing informed Yuan Mu about Li Changju’s visit and Zhao Si’s serious illness, “Dad’s sick, and I’m… a bit worried. I want to go see him, but Yiniang asked for ten taels, and I think something’s not right.”
“Then let’s go to Wutong Alley to check on dad first, and we’ll bring the money too. We’ll see what’s needed.” Yuan Mu consoled. He also found it odd. Is Li Changju really a kind person?
The morning deliveries were done, and the afternoon ones could be managed after returning from Wutong Alley.
The two went home, and Zhao Jingqing went to get money, dividing it into three portions of broken silver.
Yuan Mu cleared the cart and drove the donkey cart, taking Jingqing towards the town.
On the way, Yuan Mu held Jingqing’s hand, offering comfort, “Don’t overthink it.”
Zhao Jingqing nodded.
The donkey cart entered the town, heading towards Wutong Alley. After returning from the wedding visit, Zhao Jingqing hadn’t been back. The alley looked the same as before, no real differences.
They stopped in front of the Zhao family home, and Zhao Jingqing jumped off the donkey cart to knock on the door. Soon, footsteps were heard inside, and the door was opened by Li Changju.
A smile appeared on her face, but it froze slightly when she saw the tall and strong Yuan Mu behind, flickering by too fast for anyone to notice. Li Changju stepped aside, “Come in quickly.”
The donkey cart was tied to a tree at the entrance, and Zhao Jingqing and Yuan Mu stepped in together.
Entering the courtyard, a strong smell of herbal medicine hit their noses, making Zhao Jingqing furrow his brows slightly as he headed towards Zhao Si’s room.
Opening the door, the windows were shut inside, and the lingering smell of medicine mingled with the summer’s heat, emitting a stifling, bitter odor. Zhao Jingqing paused before stepping in.
“Dad,” Zhao Jingqing called out.
Zhao Si, who was resting with his eyes closed on the bed, opened them and looked at Zhao Jingqing, weakly asking, “Why are you back?”
As he spoke, he propped himself up on his elbows, trying to sit up.
Yuan Mu quickly helped, easily supporting him with his strength.
“I heard you were sick, so I came to see you,” Zhao Jingqing said. Father and son were never close. He felt worried but more detached, asking, “Dad, what’s bothering you?”
“My left side hurts, don’t know why. The doctor couldn’t figure it out, just gave me medicine to take,” Zhao Si sighed, “I said not to treat it, but Changju wouldn’t agree. She said the family relies on me, and I can’t fall, so I must get better.”
“But treating an illness costs money. If I don’t work, there’s no wage. I don’t know if I can even go back to work after recovering.” Zhao Si became increasingly gloomy, bowing his head in distress.
Zhao Jingqing pursed his lips, “Where did you see a doctor? Let’s go to another place.”
Zhao Si waved his hand, “No more wasted money. Fengnian will need money for studying later.”
Zhao Jingqing remained silent. These words were unsettling, and he didn’t know why. It was suffocating.
Yuan Mu timely added, “You need to be healthy to earn money. Dad, how about this? We brought a donkey cart today. We’ll take you to the medical clinic.”
A donkey cart? Zhao Si’s gaze shifted between Zhao Jingqing and Yuan Mu. He sighed, “No need, I can’t spend your money.”
Yuan Mu said, “It’s only right for a son-in-law to show filial respect to his father-in-law.”
These words were pleasing to his ears. Now he knows how to say this, but why didn’t he say it on the wedding return day? Zhao Si thought to himself, though he still refrained from agreeing, “Never mind, you visiting me is enough.”
Not going? Not even if it’s free? Zhao Jingqing and Yuan Mu exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other’s eyes.
Li Changju came in from the doorway, sighing, “In this situation, your dad doesn’t want to go out. Don’t push him. Just let him take his medicine. When he wants to go out, I’ll take him to the clinic.”
Yuan Mu said, “Medicine is three parts poison; it needs to suit the symptoms, can’t be taken haphazardly. Dad says his side hurts, might have pulled something, or maybe it’s a bone issue… there are many reasons, but it can’t be delayed.”
Zhao Jingqing also persuaded, “Dad, let’s go to the clinic.”
“No.” Zhao Si firmly refused, turning to lie down, with his back to the three of them.
Zhao Jingqing and Yuan Mu exchanged a helpless look.
Li Changju chimed in, “He really doesn’t want to go. I… I’ll call a doctor to make a house call, but this… money is tight, I…”
She lowered her voice, “So about the ten taels I mentioned before… did you bring it?”
Zhao Jingqing glanced at Zhao Si on the bed, then at Li Changju, and after a brief silence said, “I didn’t gather ten taels.”
He took out a piece of broken silver, “Only two taels.”
Li Changju frowned, suspiciously staring at Zhao Jingqing, “…You sell quite a bit of tofu, how do you only have two taels?”
Zhao Jingqing explained, “Tofu profits are slim, and taxes are high, the money is tied up in costs, really can’t spare any more. These two taels should be enough for a house call. I heard the doctors at Ming’an Hall are the best, Yiniang should get a doctor from there.”
Li Changju stared at the small piece of silver in Zhao Jingqing’s palm, her expression changing repeatedly.
She reluctantly took the piece of silver from his hand, forcing a weak smile, “Alright, I’ll definitely get a doctor from Ming’an Hall.”
Zhao Jingqing withdrew his hand, and Yuan Mu suddenly interjected, “We’re going to East Market, we’ll pass by Ming’an Hall on the way back. Jingqing and I can get a doctor on our way home.”
Zhao Jingqing nodded, “Good.”
“No way!” Li Changju suddenly exclaimed sharply. Realizing her tone was inappropriate, she quickly changed her expression to explain, “I just got medicine today. Let him finish today’s medicine first, it was bought with money, can’t waste it.”
Zhao Jingqing and Yuan Mu exchanged a knowing glance. With their understanding of each other, they had already formed a suspicion.
Zhao Jingqing said, “Alright, we’ll come back to see dad in a few days.”
Leaving the Zhao house, Yuan Mu untied the donkey cart from the tree. Zhao Jingqing stood beside him, his expression normal, but Yuan Mu could tell he wasn’t happy.
They climbed into the donkey cart, and Yuan Mu drove them out of Lugong Alley.
Yuan Mu said, “Dad is fine, so we can be at ease. The two taels are just a token of filial respect for his health.”
Zhao Jingqing pursed his lips, lowered his head, and grabbed Yuan Mu’s free hand, kneading it. Yuan Mu let him play with it, occasionally moving his fingers to cooperate.
After a while, Zhao Jingqing’s frustration dissipated.
“Yiniang came to the tofu stall this morning to ask for money. If she asks once, she can ask twice, and again and again. I’m worried it will affect business,” Zhao Jingqing expressed his concern, realizing now why Li Changju came to the tofu stall.
He had scruples; every time Li Changju came asking, he would have to give something. Otherwise, being labeled unfilial could ruin his business.
Yuan Mu shared this concern, having seen Li Changju’s shrewdness. Neither his mother nor Jingqing could stand up to her.
Yuan Mu pondered, “Your dad used to earn wages from work. Why is he now claiming illness to ask for money? There must be a reason. I’ll find someone to ask around.”
Zhao Jingqing nodded, getting an idea. He said, “Hold on, let’s turn back. I’ll ask Uncle Xu for help, have him keep an eye on dad and Yiniang for me.”
“Alright.” Yuan Mu turned the donkey cart around, entering Wutong Alley through the nearest entrance to Xu Changying’s house. The donkey cart stopped at the door.
Xu Changying was home. After a brief chat, Zhao Jingqing stated his purpose, and Xu Changying readily agreed, “Sure, I’ll keep an eye on them for you. Don’t worry.”
There was still a little time before the market dispersed, so Zhao Jingqing returned to the tofu stall, while Yuan Mu went to Zhao Si’s workplace at the horse firm to inquire.